World Octopus Day: NGOs unite to call for EU ban on cruel octopus factory farming

Compassion in World Farming has joined forces with NGOs from all over Europe and beyond to call on the EU to ban the cruel and environmentally damaging practice of octopus farming this World Octopus Day (8 October 2022).

The group of 37 NGOs and experts – including PETA, the Ocean Born Foundation and the Blue Marine Foundation – have written a joint letter to the European Commission warning that octopuses are ‘profoundly unsuited to farming and there are serious sustainability and animal welfare problems associated with the development of such an industry’. It also points out that allowing this practice would be in conflict with the EU’s own strategy on sustainable food production and calls for a ban on the importation of farmed octopus products.

The move follows announcements by company Nueva Pescanova that it plans to open the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. These plans sparked worldwide outrage when they were revealed last year.

A powerful report, Octopus Farming – A Recipe for Disaster, produced by Compassion in World Farming, shows how octopuses are highly intelligent and sentient wild animals who would suffer greatly in unnatural factory farm conditions. Solitary in nature, these fascinating animals generally live and hunt on their own. Confining them to underwater tanks would also lead to high levels of stress which could lead to aggression or even cannibalism.

In addition, the cost of farming octopus to the environment would be high and unsustainable. Octopus are carnivorous animals that would need to be fed huge amounts of human edible fish products just to be kept alive before their slaughter. In fact, to produce one kilo of octopus meat, three kilos of marine life would be needed as feed, leading to more over-fishing and pressure on other marine environments.

Elena Lara, Research Manager at Compassion in World Farming and author of the report, said: “This World Octopus Day, we should be celebrating these incredible wild animals rather than allowing them to be confined in an underwater factory farm. It’s time to end factory farming – not expand it. Octopuses are highly intelligent, sentient beings that feel pain and distress. They should never be forced together in factory farms while other sea life is decimated in order to rear them. The EU must ban the farming of octopuses and other cephalopods to ensure this cruel practice cannot be developed.”

~ends~
For more information or to arrange interviews please contact media.team@ciwf.org or call +44 (0)1483 521 615.

Notes to Editors:

1. Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 by a British dairy farmer who became horrified at the development of intensive factory farming. Today Compassion is the leading farm animal welfare organisation dedicated to ending factory farming and achieving humane and sustainable food. With headquarters in the UK, we have offices across Europe, in the US, China and South Africa. Read more about Compassion in World Farming at www.ciwf.org

2. Signatories

Compassion in World Farming, and:

Animal Justice Project (Global, Barcelona)
Animal Save Movement
Aquatic Life Institute
Blue Marine Foundation
Climate Save Movement
Ecologistas en Acción
Essere Animali
Eurogroup for Animals
European Vegan Summit
FAADA
Freedom 4 Animals
Future Food 4 Climate
GhostNetWork
Green REV Institute
In Defense of Animals USA
Interfaith Vegan Collective
La Fondation Droit Animal, Ethique et Sciences
Lady Free Thinker
Menorca Preservation Fund
Ocean Born Foundation
Ocean Culture Life
OneKind
PACMA
PETA Germany
PETA UK
Plant Based Treaty
Santuario Salvando Peludos
Santuario Vacaloura
SeaLegacy
Sea Shepherd (Global, Portugal, Spain)
The Conservation Collective
The Humane League UK
The Trash Traveler
Welfarm
World Federation for Animals

Jennifer Jacquet, PhD
Jonathan Balcombe, PhD, biologist